UPDATE: Three people have now died from injuries they suffered in this crash. The Marion County Coroner's Office identified them as Georgia Tetmeyer, 12; Cody Lemasters, 35; and William Tetmeyer, 40. Lemasters was the suspected wrong-way driver.
INDIANAPOLIS — One person died and multiple others are seriously injured after a wrong-way crash on the entrance ramp to Interstate 465 off Rockville Road following a police pursuit on Saturday.
“It was very tragic me and my secretary were standing on the deck, and we heard the sirens,” Alexander Beabout said.
Salesman Alexander Beabout says he was working at Honest Abe Auto Sales off of W. Washington Street when he saw a part of Saturday’s police chase.
Multiple units from Wayne Township, Decatur Township, Indianapolis and Indiana State Police responded to the scene around 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer William Young said the crash happened following a police pursuit.
“I heard the sirens and everything and then we looked out here and saw and a Tahoe going at a high rate of speed and right behind that it was like 10 cop cars,” Beabout added.
Officers from the IMPD SW District Violence Reduction Team and Violent Crimes Task Force were conducting an investigation prior to the pursuit. During the pursuit, the suspect vehicle fled northbound in the southbound lanes of I-465. Preliminary information suggests that at least one officer followed the suspect onto the interstate before the pursuit was terminated by the on-shift supervisor.
The suspect continued to flee the wrong direction on I-465 after the pursuit was terminated and attempted to exit the interstate going the wrong direction on the SB entrance ramp at Rockville Road, striking the other vehicle.
“When I heard about the crash me and my boss hopped in our car and went over to the Area to see and it’s just sad – those people shouldn’t have lost their lives that day,” Beabout added.
Metro Police wouldn’t comment on Saturday’s incident, but the department does have a policy in place that says a chase must end if the public’s safety is in danger.
That policy was updated in 2020.
You can view it below.
